INNOVATION IN ACTION
To truly transform our nation’s child welfare system, we must commit not only to test-driving new ideas in partner sites – but sharing what we learn along the way. We share what works
Warmline model shows promise
A critical component of Foster America’s work is sharing insights from our work in the field – real-time data, roadmaps, and guidelines – to inspire change across the nation. We also know that even the most comprehensive facts and figures can’t compete with real stories from real families. The impact of hearing a firsthand account is profound. Stories like the following from Larimer County, Colorado, are an unrivaled testament to the need for a better system, one we can build – with your help. A NEW BEGINNING As Amer and Salma stepped onto the plane, they were awash with relief. Immigrant visas in hand, they gratefully left behind their war-torn home country alongside their four children – with a fifth on the way. The young family settled in a beautiful community in Colorado, where they were greeted by majestic mountain landscapes and an overwhelming sense of hope. But life in the U.S. brought new challenges. No one they met spoke Arabic, and the barriers this caused were
immediate – and dire. While immensely grateful for their new home, they suddenly found themselves unemployed, with dwindling savings and rent coming due on their one- bedroom apartment. MAKING CONNECTIONS Amer and Salma
With each initiative, we find out more about what works — and what doesn’t. We continue to share our findings so changemakers across our sector can follow best practices and refine new strategies that advance stronger, more equitable approaches to serving families. Our work with child welfare leaders in Colorado is not only one of Foster America’s longest-standing partnerships but also among our most successful. In one county, a community navigator program is proving that innovation in child welfare is possible. We recently visited Larimer
WHAT DOES CHANGE LOOK LIKE? Foster America works hand in hand with communities to co- design and test new approaches to serving families who might otherwise have been referred to the child welfare system. These include: BUILDING “warmline”
County to interview our site partners about the success of their warmline program – a referral system to connect families with resources instead of calling a child abuse hotline – and talk with families who were directly impacted by the program. To truly make a difference in how our country serves families, we must learn from one another – and replicate successful approaches. In sharing details of Larimer County’s success, we inspire a network of changemakers to implement similar approaches in their own communities, with others’ experience as their guide.
found the support they so desperately needed in Supported Families, Stronger Community – an innovative program launched in partnership with Foster America. The couple was paired with a bilingual navigator who helped them find resources, apply for jobs and get back on their feet. Today, they are thriving, and they greet their navigator like a family member – with hugs, laughter and an insistence he stay for dinner. After all, Amer says, holding his young daughter, they owe him everything.
alternatives to child abuse hotlines, with a focus on connecting families to the help they need. SUPPORTING families in navigating voluntary, community-based services. MEETING the needs of families through cash and material assistance. INCREASING engagement of families.
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